


The Love That Grows Inside

by ashtheoncelar



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: :), Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Drama, Fluff, Hanahaki Disease, I Don't Even Know, Implied BokuAkaKuroKen, I’m sorry for later, LGBTQ, M/M, Other, Sad, Sad with a Happy Ending, Star Tears, more to come - Freeform, please keep reading
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25742089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashtheoncelar/pseuds/ashtheoncelar
Summary: Two best friends who couldn’t be closer are torn apart by one’s foolishness and the other’s feelings…  I wonder what could happen in the new gap between the two… Maybe a new friend… or… is it a new lover?In this story Tsukki falls sick, choosing to ignore it he goes overboard and some things happen…Yams feels lonely, but that changes VERY soon by someone who’s clearly caught his eye…I wonder what’ll happen in this mess of a story….Read on to find out!
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou/Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Terushima Yuuji/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 11
Kudos: 42





	1. The Story Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone reading this!  
> Thank you to Aaliyah and Sage for helping me get this story started and working with me for late nights and approving everything. 
> 
> THERE ARE SOME POSSIBLE TRIGGERS IN THIS STORY!! (F slur, talks of depression/anxiety, etc.) PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION AND STAY SAFE!! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy my writing! (Next chapter(s) is in the works right now!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE ARE SOME POSSIBLE TRIGGERS IN THIS STORY!! (F slur, talks of depression/anxiety, etc.) PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION AND STAY SAFE!!

CHAPTER ONE: THE STORY BEGINS 

The chime on the door Lucy’s Diner rings in the background as Yamaguchi orders a cup of fries for himself and a cherry cola for Tsukki. 

Kei walks up to the booth where his best friend is sitting and joins him at the table. “Soggy fries again?” He teases. 

Yams giggles and responds, “They’re my favorite, ya dork.” 

“Yeah yeah I know,” Tsukki’s always known that. He knows almost everything that there is to know about Yamaguchi. And that works the other way around, too.

Tadashi Yamaguchi was always close with Tsukki, at least since they met in grade school. Since they’d grown up they’d gotten as close as can be, with reasoning of course. 

“So what’ve you done this week?” Every week the two would have a hangout at their favorite hang out spot, Lucy’s, and chat for a while. 

“Eh, not that much. I finished my project for homeroom and then I did some sketches in my free time,” Tadashi loved to sketch when he had time. He was always doodling or making new tattoo ideas or creating a new poster for clubs. 

“Ah that’s nice, care to show me your sketchbook?” Tsukki was always hopeful, but Yams never really showed anyone what he sketched… Kei was hoping that time was different. 

Needless to say, it wasn’t. While Yamaguchi used to be pretty open as a kid, he grew to be very stubborn in his late college years. He showed no intention of letting Tsukki in his sketches anytime soon. 

Yams raised an eyebrow and gave a slight glare at his best friend… who looked quite nice today, to say the least. “You already know the answer to that, Kei.” 

“Ugh, fine,” he gave a sigh but laughed it off. 

The waitress came up to the booth and gave them their order and wished them well. When she leaves the two get back to talking. 

“What’ve you been up to this week?” Yams wanted to get the topic off of himself. 

“Not that much, I had my midterm prep for political science but other than that nothing major,” Tsukki has always loved history and the way things fit together, so it was no surprise that he’d taken an interest in political science. 

“Ah that’s not too bad. I’ve been thinking about getting another tattoo, y’know… because I’ve been sketching,” he lets out a small laugh as he looks at his half sleeve of tats debating to get another or not. 

“I mean, they don’t look too bad on you. As long as you know what you want I guess,” Tsukishima took a sip from his cola and looked back at a blushing Yams. “What?” He laughed. 

“Oh um, nothing,” Tadashi shakes his head, feeling embarrassed and gives another laugh as he eats some of his fries. By now the blush was gone. 

“Alright, if you say so…” 

Kei and Yams talked for another hour before Tsukishima decides that he needs to be on his way. As he leaves through the door the bell chimes, and leaves a thought in Yamaguchi’s head. 

‘What am I doing? Falling for my best friend? I’m insane… I can’t even show him my sketches for god’s sake… I’m in this way over my head.’

And he was. He really, truly was. He had no idea what was to come, the rest of his life would never be the same. (But he doesn’t know that, so hush now.) 

*The Next Week* 

Lucy’s door opens and Tsukki looks up from the booth he sits at, meeting eyes with a flustered Yamaguchi. He looks out of breath, probably because he was late to the pairs weekly hang out. 

Yams sits down across from Tsukki, visibly anxious. “Hey, sorry I’m late… I was in a rush because I was late because I got carried away drawing, you know how I get. And by the time I looked at the clock I needed to be on my way and I wasn’t so I rushed to get here,” he ran out of breath trying to explain. 

“Hey, no it’s fine. More importantly, are you alright?” Kei looks at his best friend feeling worried. 

Tadashi flushes a bit more red but his breathing steadies, “Yeah, I’m fine… Just a bit anxious about some things… I mean, about exam prep.” He tries to hide his anxious feelings, but it doesn’t work too well. 

“Yeah, somethings definitely up… start talking,” Tsukki has always had a way with Yams. He doesn’t know how it got there or how it works, but he knows that it’s there. 

The two sat in silence for a moment while Yamaguchi thought carefully about his next words, words that would change both of their lives. 

“Yams? You’re still flushed… are you getting sick? Should I take you home?” Tsukki never liked it when Tadashi wouldn’t take care of himself. 

“Oh um, no, like I said earlier… I’m just a bit anxious,” he recalled to the earlier part of their conversation. 

“Oh right, but didn’t you say that it was because of exam prep?” Tsukki thought back to what Yamaguchi had said, choosing to focus on what he’d used as a cover up. 

“Oh well, you could probably tell… but that wasn’t true. I um…” he was getting really blushy now. 

“You…?” Tsukishima was booth clueless and curious about what his closest friend had to say. 

“I um… I wanted to show you something…” Yams pulls out his backpack which Kei hasn’t even noticed that he’d brought along until now. 

When he saw the bag, he was astounded. That bag was the bad that Yamaguchi kept all of his art supplies in. His pencils, books, papers, paints and brushes. *Everything* that he had. But it was most full of his sketchbooks, he had almost twenty of them, filled to the brim with drawings that he’d never even seen. 

Tsukishima was amazed that this might happen, “Yams are you- you’re being serious right now?” He could hardly wait. 

“Yeah,” Yams was nodding slowly and looked like he might be sick. “I think it’s time that you see these. I’ve had them since the middle of high school and never stopped using them, but I think you should see a few.” 

“R-Really? You know that I’ve been waiting to see them practically since you got them… You aren’t messing with me right?” Tsukishima really wanted to know what Yams had done with his free time for the past few years of their lives. 

“I- yes, really,” Yams gives a giggle as he pulls out a few of his sketchbooks and slides them across the table. 

Kei’s eyes go wide as he looks at the books sitting in front of him, not knowing if he trusts what sits inside of them. He carefully picks one up and flips the cover open. His jaw drops as he sees a breathtaking pencil shaded sketch of a waterfall leading into a gorgeous pond with wildflowers around. 

“Yamaguchi… this is… beautiful…” For once in his lifetime, Tsukki was absolutely speechless. 

He flips the page to show a sketch of what appears to be a blue and white dragon with piercing eyes, its body moving freely, soaring through a sky of snow falling from soft clouds. 

“Yams… I never knew that you had this much talent. Well, I mean I knew that you were talented, I just didn’t know that you could do this,” Tsukki was amazed by his friends’ work. He had no idea how long these took or when he even had time to do them. 

“Oh uhm, thanks I guess…” Yams looked away from the books that Tsukki was holding to try and hide the huge blush and grin that spread across his face. 

When Kei looked up, he noticed that Yams was red once again, “Are you sure that you’re not getting sick? You look awfully red…” He was clueless. 

“Well, that’s part of why I wanted to show you these… and they are part of why I’m embarrassed. So… if you wouldn’t mind, could you flip to the last two pages in the book? I have a small ‘surprise’ for you…” Yams’ face was even brighter than it was before. 

“Sure… but I want to look through a few more if that’s alright…?” He really admired Tadashi’s drawings and knew that he’d be able to look through them all day if he had the chance. 

“Oh yeah, go ahead. I just want you to see the last pages before I need to be on my way,” He gave a small laugh, feeling nervous once again. 

“Thank you!!” Tsukishima’s face lit up as he grabbed another book, making sure to set the other one aside to remember it later. 

He flipped through the other books, full of amazing landscapes, gorgeous portraits, doodles, beautiful skies, and even more astounding still life sketches. His favorite was of an eclipse above a field filled with flowers and trees. He kept turning the pages. There were a few watercolor and acrylic paintings, among a few photographs from a while back, Tsukki had no words to describe the emotions he was feeling. 

“Yams I- I had no idea that you could do all this… it’s- it is absolutely- just- wow…” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. 

“So… are you ready for the… for the thing?” Yams felt like he could be sick 

“Oh right! The… the thing…?” It’d been nearly a half hour since they’d started looking through the stacks of sketches. 

Yams takes a deep breath as he says, “Get out the first book I showed you from today… please.” 

“Okay,” he complies as he pulls out the book that he set aside earlier. 

“Remember what I had told you? The last two pages…” Yams’ voice was shaky as he looked at the book Tsukki held in his hands. 

“Alright…” He nervously laughs as he flips to the last pages of the books. When he opens his eyes again, they are met with an extraordinary sketch of… himself? It was a portrait of his favorite picture of himself from roughly a year ago. It was taken on the day that the two of them had gone to the local carnival. 

Why was it him? And why… that picture? He had no words, but it looked exactly like the picture. Kei couldn’t speak, he had so many thoughts running through his mind that he couldn’t put them into words. 

“I know, I know… it’s a bit much, but I thought you might like it…” Yams trails off and looks up to see Tsukishima looking right back at him, with tears forming in his eyes. 

“Yamaguchi… it’s stunning,” he says as he looks down at himself once more. 

“Oh… thank you… I mean, YOU are stunning. So I guess I only drew what I saw…” he blushes and looks away as he had done countless times before. 

“Now then… the next page?” He asks, seeming as if he’s ready to see it. 

Yamaguchi takes an audible gulp and looks back up to meet his best friend's eyes, just as he bites his lip. “Uhm… Yeah, the next page.” 

“Okay…” 

He turns the next page, expecting another sketch, but is met with words, numbers, and photos. When he takes a closer look, he sees that the letters form a sentence, that the numbers are dates, and that the pictures are the two of them. 

He looks up, confusion readable on his face. “What’s that about? It’s you and me…” 

“Take a closer look, Tsukki…” 

Once he looks again, he sees that the pictures are all from their best days. The dates are when they’d gone out and had fun, or when they’d gotten tickets to see a movie or something. The letters… he hadn’t figured those out yet… 

“Do you get it?” Yams was feeling restless and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. 

“Not quite… the dates and pictures are amazing, but the letters…? What are those…?” He looked up once again, seeing Yams with glossy eyes. 

He takes a deep breath before he says a few words, that he didn’t think he could say. 

“I love you.” 

“Oh… I love you too, Yams. You’re the most amazing best friend that anyone could ask for,” clearly he didn’t get the message. 

“No, Tsukki,” He takes another deep breath and says those words again, but with more stress. 

“I love you, Tsukki.” 

“Yams… I… what are you saying?” Kei wasn’t sure of what was going on. 

“We grew close over the last few years and I think I let myself fall too hard… I saw everything about you that you might not have even known about yourself. I saw your imperfections and your habits… I grew to love them, and with that… I started to love you.” 

And with that, Tsukishima wasn’t so speechless anymore…. “How about we go outside and talk for a minute…? Okay…?” 

Yamaguchi swallows, “Alright…” 

Tsukishima stands up and leaves through the door of the diner, standing outside. Yams gathers his sketchbooks, making sure to keep ‘the one’ out. He takes his bag and heads for the door, hesitant to what’s coming next. 

“So…” Tadashi starts off. 

“So WHAT?! WHY? WHY would you fall for me? Why would you choose to be with someone who you KNEW wouldn’t like you? ESPECIALLY not like THAT. You did it anyway and you got yourself in trouble. Look, I’m sorry but I’m not a fag,” Tsukki was disgusted and felt horrible that his best friend, was someone like… that. 

Yams let out the tears he’d been holding and wanted to yell back so badly. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He didn’t want to hurt his best friend, or who he thought was his best friend. 

“God. That’s disgusting Yamaguchi,” he scowls and rolls his eyes. 

“So what? I should be able to love whoever I want to. No one else should have control over that, except for me. Not you. Not my peers. Not the world. Me.” 

“Ugh, get over yourself. You need help,” he started walking towards his car, but something stopped him. 

“Why are you doing this? Out of everyone we’ve met and gotten to know… you choose me? God that’s horrible. Not to mention stupid. The classic “friends to lovers” thing…? Not gonna work, at least not on me.” 

Yams had no words. They wouldn’t leave his throat. His mind was clogged with thoughts, processing what would happen next. 

“You know what… we can just forget that this ever happened. Sounds good Yams? Perfect,” Tsukki had gone to his car and pulled out of the parking lot before Yams had a chance to speak. 

As he walked to his car, bag on his back, he thought about what he’d do at their next meeting. What would happen between them? How would that play out? 

*That Week*

Neither one of them had bothered to text each other, not with what’d happened. But both of them knew that this week’s hangout was no different… or was it? 

Before they knew it, it was Saturday afternoon and Tsukki was sitting in the two’s usual booth, waiting for his best friend. But… he wasn’t there. He hadn’t shown up yet, which was unusual. 

Another twenty minutes had gone by and Yamaguchi still hadn’t shown up… Why was he late? Why wasn’t he there? He should’ve shown up by now. Where on earth is he? 

*Where Yams Is*

Yamaguchi sits on the roof of his apartment building and looks out on the city. He isn’t thinking about anything in particular, he’s just wondering what he’s doing there, why he isn’t at the diner… 

Well… he knows why he isn’t at the diner. He knows that he won’t show up, and that he has no plans on talking to Tsukishima ever again. But he chooses to not worry about it right now. He’ll save up those thoughts and put them into sketching energy or inspiration. 

As he rests, he lets his legs dangle off the side of the building, his head resting against the rail in front of him. There are tears staining his face, the sunlight making him shine. Tadashi is about to get up and take another nap instead of sketch… when someone interrupts him. 

“What’re you doing up here all by yourself?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking around, they’re will be more to come <3


	2. Let’s Talk (1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get to some talking.  
> New people, and old friends too.  
> I wonder what havoc could ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE ARE SOME POSSIBLE TRIGGERS IN THIS STORY!! (F slur, talks of depression/anxiety, etc.) PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION AND STAY SAFE!! 
> 
> SURPRISE!! I’m no longer M.I.A.!   
> I had to take a LONG break from writing because my creativity was lacking and writing was really difficult for a long period of time! But I’m back now with a new chapter and I hope y’all get what you’ve asked for!!   
> Much love, Author Ash <3

Chapter Two, P1: Let’s Talk.

As he rests, he lets his legs dangle off the side of the building, his head resting against the rail in front of him. There are tears staining his face, the afternoon sunlight making him shine. Tadashi is about to get up and take another nap instead of sketching… when someone interrupts him. 

“What’re you doing up here all by yourself?” 

Tadashi twists his head around and his tear filled eyes are met with a jaw dropping blonde boy, standing behind him. When he takes a closer look he notices some very nice things about this boy. For instance, his sleeve tattoos and his muscles poking out from under his light yellow shirt, the silver earring hanging from his right ear, his golden brown eyes sparkling in the now fading sun, and easily the most attractive tongue piercing that he’s ever seen. 

Yamaguchi blushes, but it quickly fades, remembering why he was on the roof in the first place. Not to mention the tears rolling down his face that compete with the flushed red of his cheeks would probably be confusing to anyone who isn’t inside his world. 

“You’re quite a mess aren’t ya, neighbor?” The way this new boy spoke was so soft, and so gentle,,, yet so intimidating as he came to sit next to Yams. 

Tadashi laughed as he wiped at the tears rolling down his face that were slowly coming to a stop. “Yeah, yeah… I really am… wouldn’t you be after someone you’ve loved for almost forever turns you away and breaks your heart? Not that it’s anything huge…” He smiles and laughs it off, turning his broad shoulders to face the boy who now sat next to him on the ledge. 

“What’re you even doing up here? Contemplating your existence?” He looks at Yams, a concerned expression overtaking his face. “You weren’t actually, were you…?” 

Yams laughs even harder, “Oh no, nothing like that… at least not with you here.” He winks at the guy next to him, noting his humor. 

He blushes, “Do you have a name, Mr. Mysterious Rooftop Guy?” 

“Nope. Just Mr. Mysterious Rooftop Guy.” He tries his hardest to keep a straight face but it doesn’t last long. 

Soon the two are doubled over in laughter. Their shared laughs lead into them talking for hours on end about everything happening. Who changed their major, the new coffee shop downtown, how expensive the laundry’s are, and everything in between… Or at least as much as they could fit in before the sun had completely set and it got cold. 

Yamaguchi shivers from his spot as the two boys continue to laugh. “Wow… I never knew that Mrs. Paisley could rollerblade…” 

“And neither did I until last Thursday!” Once again, the boys crack up in a fit of laughs. 

“Oh. Ow, ahh… my sides hurt from laughing so much.” 

“Do they now, Mr. Mysterious Rooftop Guy?” This time the boys fell silent, feeling both comfort and tension in the air between them. 

“Uhm… You can call me Yamaguchi or Tadashi.. or Yams or whatever really… that’s my name… figured you should know it if we plan on spending more time together…?” Yamaguchi was hopeful with the last part. He wanted nothing more in this moment than to keep this new boy in his life for as long as possible. 

“Tadashi Yamaguchi… cute… just like you,” He turns to wink at Yams before putting his arm around Tadashi’s shivering shoulders. 

Yamaguchi leans into this new boy's touch, feeling something much more than what he once had with someone completely different. “What’s your name, Mr. Mysterious Blonde Boy?” 

“I don’t think I have one… I quite like Mr. Mysterious Blonde Boy… don’t ya think?” He whispers into his new friend’s ear, his face very close. 

Yams blushes as he responds, “Well well well, I think it’s only fair. Considering you already know how much of a burning trash fire I am.” He says those words lightly, almost like he’s teasing. 

“Terushima. Yuuji Terushima,” He says with a serious gulp, after a moment of quiet laughter.

Yuuji removes his arm from around Yams’ shoulders and puts his hands together in his lap. When he does, Yamaguchi turns to look at his new friend, confused as to why Terushima had stopped. 

“It’s a lovely name… I think it suits you,” He faces Terushima and takes his face in his own hands. 

Terushima meets Tadashi’s eyes, tears almost falling from his. He searches the others' faces for a trace of a lie, something that would throw him off… But he doesn’t find it. What he finds is a face full of freckles that look like stars, a pair of warm brown eyes that glow in the moonlight, a small smile, and an adorable button nose. 

He says in a strained voice, “You really think so…?” 

“Of course I do… I think… from the few hours we’ve known each other… I think that you’re kind and caring, you’re funny and sweet. Not to mention that you’re pretty damn hot,” He quickly covers his mouth and blushes, taking his hands away from Terushima’s face, realizing what he said. “Ohmygod I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to- I wanna I meant to- not that you’re not-“ He gets interrupted. 

“Hey… it’s okay. You’re pretty damn hot yourself,” He laughs and the tears from his eyes disappear. 

Teru takes the hands that were once on his face and holds them in his own. Yamaguchi scoots as close as he can get and leans his head on Terushima’s shoulder, with him being an inch shorter it works out well. “Hey… I want to keep getting to know you… if you’d want that…?” 

“Of course… I was thinking the same thing… and I mean… if you were up for it… maybe work towards a relationship…?” He talks with hope and when the next part comes he starts talking faster. “I get that you just got your heart broken by someone you care about and that you probably want to take things slow but I really like you and I want to know you and I- I should stop talking now… shouldn’t I…?” 

Yamaguchi laughs and sits upright, facing his body towards Terushima. “I’d love to keep talking with you. But…” He trails off, looking away. 

“But what...?” Terushima’s interest was piqued and he wanted to know more. 

Yams smiles and laughs, “Oh, nothing. It doesn’t matter to me anymore.” He looks back at Teru and smiles, stars sparkling in his eyes. 

“It matters to me… I want to make sure that you’re comfortable with me, and that I’m not being pushy or that I’m going too fast. Or if I’m making you uncomfortable. That’s the last thing I’d want for you.” 

“Well… I was hoping that we’d be able to take things slowly, and start as close friends first… maybe with a bit of PDA… then maybe a couple…? I- I’m not sure… I just want to see what happens…” he smiles, happy that he said what he wanted to and that nothing had held him back. 

“Of course, as long as I’m not gone from your life… then that’s perfectly fine with me.” 

The two smile at each other as Yams leans his head to where it sat on Terushima’s shoulder just a moment ago. But as he lifts his head down… he decides that he doesn’t want to. 

Going against what he thought he was doing, he looked into Terushima’s eyes, shining with the reflection of the moon. In a split second he lifted his head up just as his new friend’s head was coming down… Cupping his face and turning it towards his own, he leans in and kisses Teru. 

The two melt into the kiss gently, yet are yearning for each other. They can sense the passion and connection they share. Both the boys could feel the other’s lips smiling against his own. They deepen it and pull away after a moment, both feeling breathless. Just for a moment, neither has any words. 

“Wow…” Terushima was star-struck. His eyes lit up and his cheeks were red, his chest was visibly moving up and down and he had the biggest grin on his face. 

“That was certainly… wow…” Yams was blushing once again for what was probably the billionth time that night. He was amazed, he felt like he was on top of the world… until something interrupted the two’s closeness with a loud cough. 

“Wow… I did NOT think that you’d be here. Of all places Yamaguchi? Here? Wow,” The person’s voice was familiar, but not in a comforting way… at least not anymore. 

Yamaguchi rolled his eyes as he pulled away from Terushima and stood up. He wobbled a bit from hardly moving over the past few hours, but he gained his balance and started walking. He walked right past the idiotic blonde boy in his way. 

“Are you coming Teru? It’s getting a bit *cold*, isn’t it? I’d rather spend some more time inside, if that’s alright?” Yams knew what he was doing… and it seemed to have been working. 

Terushima scanned the two of them, understanding the situation, “Uhm… Yeah, I’d love to. We could watch a movie and have some popcorn?” 

“Sounds amazing, let's get going,” he grabbed ahold of Terushima’s hand as he walked towards him. Their hands stayed interlocked all the way to Yamaguchi’s apartment. 

When the two walk inside and close the door they burst out laughing. “Did you see the look on his face!? That was priceless!” 

Terushima laughs but stops after a moment. “Um.. in case you don’t mind me asking… was he the one…?” 

Yamaguchi opens his mouth after he catches on, but instead answers the slightly hurtful question with a single nod of his head. 

“Do you mind if I ask what exactly happened? We didn’t get to it after we talked about the whole Baker Hall fiasco from last year…” 

He laughs at the Baker Hall reference, but his smile fades just as quickly as it appeared. “Oh yeah… well, I mean… do you want the whole, ‘It started long ago” or the ‘he just broke my heart’ story?” 

“Whatever you’d be comfortable with is what I’d want to hear,” Terushima was being thoughtful to Yams. 

“Well, long story short, we met in grade school and got closer all the way up through high school. That was when we started playing volleyball seriously and hardly ever hung out. Since we got into university we’d been able to spend more time together, as we aren’t playing volleyball anymore. I realized how much I’d missed him and then… you can pretty much guess what had happened from there…” 

“Got it…” Terushima sits on the apartment’s couch as he processes what he’d just been told. 

“It happened earlier this week, and everyday I’ve been up on the roof… just because I can. Because it calms me down, I guess.” 

“Yeah…” Terushima wasn’t sure what else he could say to that. 

“This probably gets awkward now doesn’t it…?” 

“How so?” Terushima was curious about what would happen next. 

“Well, I just told you how I got my heart broken, we’d kissed, then gotten interrupted by the boy who broke my heart, and now you’re in my apartment…” Yams said teasingly and raised an eyebrow. 

“Ah yeah… that’s kind of a thing,” He smiles and laughed lightheartedly, a rosy hue rising to his own cheeks. 

A moment of silence passes between the two and Yams starts blushing a whole lot more. 

“You alright freckles?” He says mockingly and looks Yams up and down from where he’s sitting. 

“Oh um… yeah I’m fine,” He looks away as he shakes his head. 

“Well… how about we try that again…?” He gets up and walks towards where Yams is standing. 

Terushima puts his hands around Yams neck in a comfortable embrace. He cocks his head to one side and looks in his eyes. 

“So… what do ya say neighbor?” He whispers to the boy in his arms as he gently places their foreheads together. 

Yamaguchi gulps and turns even more red. “Not tonight… it’s late and I haven’t gotten much sleep lately.” He whispers and laughs it off. 

“Alright… okay… goodnight then…” Terushima gives Yamaguchi a kiss on the head and grabs his bag to head out, a smile at the corner of his lips. 

“I’m on the second floor in number one if you want to come knocking on my door anytime.” 

“Um.. yeah, goodnight.” 

“Later freckles.” He heads out and gently closes the door as he waves goodbye. 

When Yams realizes that he’s now standing alone in the middle of his apartment, he goes and sits on his couch, where his new friend previously was. 

He starts thinking… ‘Do I actually like him that much? He’s so sweet and he was gentle with me… He respected me and listened to what I had to say… So pretty much the complete opposite of Tsukki… Oh yeah… Tsukki… I shouldn’t be feeling these feelings, especially not after what happened between us… I still like him, but I think I might like Teru more…? Or is that just the feelings of the aftermath of a broken heart? I don’t want that to happen again… I don’t want to feel like that again… God why does this have to be difficult for me? I could just… no, I’m not gonna do that… but I could…” 

He trails off in his thoughts, debating with himself over whether or not to do what’s been nagging at him for a little while. He gets up and writes down Terushima’s apartment number on a sticky note. Yamaguchi then expresses a long sigh and picks up his phone and keys as he gets up and leaves his apartment. He gets in his car and drives. 

Before he knows it, he’s in a small parking lot… Where everything happens, where his heart was broken, where he opened up to his best friend. He didn’t know why he was there, he just knew that he’d driven and ended up here… at Lucy’s. 

Going against what his heart wants to do, he gets out and goes to sit at a table. About three minutes later a waitress comes to take his order. 

“Soggy fries and a cherry cola? It’s what you and that blonde boy always get,” She says with a small smile. 

“Oh um… just the soggy fries, thanks. I’m going to be by myself tonight,” He says with a small laugh. 

“Alrighty then,” She writes it down and heads to the kitchen. 

Tadashi looks down at his hands and folds them in his lap, sighing to himself. He takes a moment to close his eyes and is about to dive into his thoughts when...

“What’re you so down about?” A voice distracts him as he looks up. 

When his eyes adjust, he sees a blonde boy with grown out roots, a longer length of hair, brown eyes, the hint of small smile, and a red hoodie on, in his hands is a Nintendo Switch that is powering off. 

“Oh uh, just kind of… getting my mind off a few things… or rather, thinking through said things…? It’s kind of hard to explain,” He wasn’t sure if he was able to handle another blonde in his life. 

“Well, I’m free all night… Start talking,” clearly this new guy wasn’t afraid of putting it out there. 

“Um where should I start?” His thoughts were running a mile a minute and completely scattered. 

“Wherever you need to in order to get it all out,” he smiles in a calm, kind manner. 

“Alright… but can I know your name first?” He takes a deep breath before considering diving straight into his crazy week. 

“Kozume, Kenma Kozume,” he looks Yamaguchi up and down before raising an eyebrow, suggesting that he should carry on. 

“Okay Kenma,” He waits for the waitress to set down his order before he continues on expressing what’s been bothering him. “God it’s all so much. This is awkward.. but here goes? I was in love with this amazing guy but he basically crushed my heart last week and it hurt so badly. But then today I met this new guy and holy hell is he something else, he’s so kind and sweet, he listens and is gentle but so… I can’t put my finger on it… but he’s amazing. He’s hot, too. But I just… I don’t know how I should feel about it all. He broke my heart, but now there’s someone here that could fix it. And Mrs. Paisley can rollerblade?! What the hell!” He finishes feeling only slightly out of breath. 

“Oh shit. You’re a big mess aren’t you? What can I do to… help? To make things better? I’m not the best when it comes to romance…” He trailed off making Yamaguchi wonder what he meant by that. 

“Oh I don’t know, make my heart choose what it actually wants? And to tell me what YOU meant about romance… I’ve become intrigued.” He squints his eyes in curiosity. 

“I can’t exactly help with the first one, but if I were to tell you what I’d meant… I would need YOUR name.” 

“Fair enough. Tadashi Yamaguchi, it’s nice to meet you. Now, get talking.” 

“Oh...” He was startled by the sudden abruptness coming from this guy. 

“I’m listening.” 

“So long story short, I found out that my best friend since childhood was basically in love with me and I was so enthralled with other things that I hardly had time for him anymore. We grew apart and when I went to visit him… he was crying, and all I could hear was a muffled twinkling sound through the door. I later discovered that it was Star Tears and now he’s gone blind because of me. I hate myself everyday because of it, I can never get over the fact that I’ve caused him that much pain. But that’s the way it is y’know?” He had a single tear running down his face, but was smiling. 

“Sounds like we’re on different sides of the same story huh?” The two laughed at the irony. 

“Yeah, I guess so…” The laughter died down between the two and they fell silent. 

Neither was sure of what to say, or what to do in this particular situation. But eventually… 

“Hey… thanks for this… I don’t think I realized how much I needed to talk with someone,” Yamaguchi was only speaking what he had thought at that moment. 

“Oh, yeah no problem. I kinda needed this too…” Kenma smiles before pulling out his phone. “Mind if we stay in touch? I need more friends…” 

“Of course!” Yamaguchi pulls out his phone and switches it with Kenma’s. “I could use a few friends myself, so this’ll be good.” 

The two of them talk for an hour longer then decide to call it quits. As Yams is saying goodbye and getting in his car, he thinks about what he’ll do next. He gets gone and slips into bed, glancing at his clock before falling into a land of blank dreams. 

Time: 01.17 A.M.


	3. 2. Let’s Talk (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukki is confused.  
> He needs somewhere to go.  
> So, he finds what he needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’ALL I’M SORRY!!!  
> HERE IT IS!!  
> Enjoy <3

*Tsukki's POV*

"... wow..." He quietly opened the door to the roof and caught a blip of conversation. The boys in front of him sat close together with their foreheads resting against one another's. He watched for a moment until he interrupted the two's closeness with a loud cough. 

"Wow... I did NOT think that you'd be here. Of all places Yamaguchi? Here? Wow," He thought that Tadashi would be more creative in where he could put himself. Then again, his words weren't exactly... original. 

Yamaguchi gets up and walks towards the door, "Are you coming Teru? It's getting a bit *cold*, isn't it? I'd rather spend some more time inside, if that's alright?"

The other boy looked Tsukki up and down, then back at Tadashi, seeming to understand the situation, "Uhm... Yeah, I'd love to. We could watch a movie and have some popcorn?" 

"Sounds amazing, let's get going," he grabbed a hold of the blond boy's hand as he walked towards him. Their hands stayed interlocked as they left the roof. 

He was astounded that Yamaguchi had gotten so blunt, and so... cold. I mean, how could he not? He just came face-to-face with his ex-best friend who broke his heart just a few days ago. 

But even with that, they'd been close for YEARS... so why was he like this...? Why did he have to... have to do this...? Whatever this was. The only way he felt he could process this was by going home. He manages to gather his thoughts as he drags his body down the stairs and out to his car where he'd parked. The sun was set and it was well past ten when he'd left. 

As he drives away from the apartment complex he knew so well from his long-term friend, his mind wanders to how he should've handled this crazy week. Should he have said something else? Accepted it? Returned the feelings? How the hell was he supposed to know? Is it possible to be in love and hate someone at the same time? 

Before he knows it, Tsukishima has arrived in front of his former "friends" shared house. Kei has no idea how he'd somehow missed the drive he'd taken to get there, but sure enough, he was there. He reluctantly shuts off the engine of his car and gets out, walking up to the front door. 

*Ding Dong*  
Kei starts muttering to himself, "God what am I doing?" 

The door swings open and Tsukki is greeted with a warm smile on a familiar face. "What ARE you doing here Kei? It's been a minute since we've talked..." The boy leans in the doorway, resting his bi-colored, floofy hair on the frame. 

"I don't actually know, Bokuto... I just kind of... drove myself here... Sorry for bothering you," he sighs as he turns his body around to leave. 

"WAIT!! Don't leave... please? Clearly something is bothering you, and I think it's time that we catch up," Bokuto speaks hesitantly, but in a way that's affirming. 

"Really? I wouldn't be intruding would I?" Tsukki was worried that he wouldn't be welcome because it's so late. 

"Of course!! I'm sure that Kuroo would love to see you as well!" The smile on Bokuto's face got even wider when Kei turned his head to look inside behind Bokuto. 

"Hmm... Fine then," Tsukki turned fully towards Kotaro and slowly walked towards the door, waiting for his old friend to lead the way. 

Bokuto walked in, followed by Tsukishima who took his shoes off in the entry and muttered a polite "Arigato" for letting him intrude on his friend's night. "Kei, you don't have to be so formal," a voice from the living area had spoken up. 

"K-Keiji... Hello, I uh-" His words get interrupted by another set of words from the black-haired guy. 

"There's no need to be so set in formalities. We've known each other since, what, high school? Relax a little, it's just us," Keiji set his mug down and walked over to where the boys were standing in the entry area. "Now come on in, it's getting cold." 

Kei closed the door behind him and walked further into the friends' house, feeling awkward. Words could hardly describe the thoughts and emotions coursing through his veins, his mind was running a mile a minute and he felt as if his entire body was shaking with anxiety. He was snapped out of his state only when a firm hand was placed on his shoulder. "Hey, loosen up a bit. I have no fucking clue what happened... but it'll all be okay." 

Those words were shortly stopped when Keiji scolded and glared at Bokuto for cursing, even though he'd gotten into that same habit himself lately. 

"So, Kei, want to explain what's going on?" Akaashi took off his glasses and gently wiped them with the edge of his shirt before placing them back on his nose and sitting down. Bokuto motioned for Kei to take a seat with the two of them. 

He hesitantly followed the other two's movements and took a seat for himself before speaking. "Uhm... it's kind of a long story... I don't want to intrude." 

The other two boys sighed and spoke back in response, "KEI! You're not intruding, now please either shut your mouth or start spilling." 

Tsukishima opened his mouth and closed it, amazed at their sudden bluntness. "Uhm... okay, so... it's hard to explain? But basically Yamaguchi told me that he was in love with me earlier this week? OH! And he showed me his sketchbook." 

The room fell silent as everyone sat astonished at how such few sentences could have such an impact. But the silence was disturbed by words from Keiji, "HE SHOWED YOU THE BOOK?!!?!" 

"Keiji, stop yelling please," Hm... that's strange for Bokuto to be the one saying that. 

"Uhm... yes he showed me the sketches... they're honestly super amazing. He has a lot of talent, not sure why he's wasted it on me..." Tsukishima trails off at a loss for what to say. 

Keiji grumbles and mutters something about time as Bokuto looks on quizzically. "Well, how did you react...?" 

"W-Well I-" He gets interrupted by a door opening and closing. 

"Welcome home you two," Akaashi and Koutarou wave towards the men coming in the front door. 

"Hey guys... and another guy," There was a tall, black haired man holding onto a shorter, disheveled looking half-blonde. 

"Here, walk forward a bit Kuroo..." The blonde guides Kuroo forward and closes the door behind them. He bends down and slips off his own shoes before taking off his friend's shoes. 

Kuroo maneuvers his way around and sits in a free seat in the room. "Who all is here Kenma?" He asks hesitantly, followed by the blonde's response. "It's you, me, Keiji and Ko. A-And Tsukishima..." 

"Yup! That's all of us!" Koutarou chimes in happily. 

Kenma shakes his head and walks towards the staircase, eyeing the blonde guy in his home. "I'll be going up for the night... see you in the morning. Love you guys." 

Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi all sit in silence as Kei looks to the three of them. "What was that all about?" 

Bokuto starts off cautiously, "He... he said it..." 

Akaashi continues, "I can't believe he actually said it... Kuroo, how're your eyes?" 

He moves his eyes, as if he's looking for something specific, "Uhm... a little better actually..." 

The three sit in a shared amazement while Tsukki notices the flush on each of their faces. "Okay- uhm- what the hell?" 

Keiji takes a deep breath and responds to the best of his ability, "Ah- I suppose you should know... The four of us are in a relationship. And it's not common that Kozume tells us those words... Because of a situation that had happened a while back." 

"I see... well congratulations." 

Once again, the boys in the room sit silently before Kei stands up. "I should be on my way. Thank you for letting me interrupt your night." He speaks swiftly while giving a rushed half-bow. 

Bokuto speaks this time, "Of course, come bother us anytime you like Tsukishima!" 

"Within reason of course," Kuroo chuckles. 

"Yeah, yeah." 

Akaashi stands up and leads Kei to the door, the two bow before each other. "Thanks for coming." 

Kei slips his shoes on and the door opens. He walks out, leaving the three to themselves. The blonde gets in his car and drives off to his own apartment complex, but doesn't leave his car. He sits there, takes his glasses off, and lets tears fall down his face. 

*Thinking* "Why did I call him that...? Why did I react that way...? If anything I should've been happy that he actually likes me. Hell, I was in love with him since we were kids, and I still am. But why-" His thoughts are interrupted by a pattering sound on his window. 

"Ah fuck. Rain."

Tsukki grabs his umbrella, shakes his mind off, and heads inside to his apartment. He sighs and goes through his nightly routine before heading to bed. 

Time: 01.17 A.M.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
> Y'ALL I AM SO SORRY FOR HOW LATE THIS PART CAME IN RIP   
> And sorry for how short it is too, block is strong lately :(((

**Author's Note:**

> If you’re still here, please check out my other works when they get posted, and follow my insta and tiktok (@ash.cos.16)! Thank you for reading, if you don’t mind, leave kudos and a comment please <3


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